Quarterly National Household Survey - CSO · Quarterly National Household Survey ... aged 25-64 with at most primary education compared with 7% for persons with a third level qualification

Highest education level attained1

% Labour force Employment Unemployment

participation rate rate

rate

Primary or below 10 46 35 24

Lower secondary 15 67 54 21

Higher secondary 24 76 65 14

Post leaving cert 13 78 64 18

Third Level 38 87 81 7

Total persons aged 25 to 64 100 76 66 131

See Background Notes.

Table A: Summary of main results, April-June 2011

25-64 year olds

14 December 2011

Quarterly National Household SurveyEducational Attainment Thematic Report 2011

Questions designed to measure the level of educational attainment in Ireland are

included in the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) on an ongoing

basis. This report presents the level of educational attainment for people in Ireland

in Quarter 2 (Q2; April-June) 2011 and previous years. The percentages of those

who have attained each of the different levels of educational attainment are given

for the different levels of variables such as age, sex and nationality. Labour force

participation rates, employment rates and unemployment rates are also presented

for the different levels of educational attainment. Statistics for all 27 countries in

the European Union (EU) are also presented for key indicators such early school

leavers and third level attainment to see how Ireland measures up against the rest of

the EU.

Summary of main findings

� The proportion of those aged 25-64 with a third level qualification was 38%in Quarter 2 (Q2) 2011. See table A.

� In Q2 2011, one in ten (10%) of those aged 25-64 had attained at most pri-mary level education. See table A.

� Labour force participation rates clearly increased as the level of educationattained increased; in Q2 2011, those with a third level qualification were al-most twice as likely to be in the labour force (87%) compared to those withat most primary level education (46%). See table A.

� Employment rates clearly increased as the level of education attained in-creased with an employment rate of 35% in Q2 2011 for persons with atmost primary level education compared with an employment rate of 81% forthose with a third level qualification. See table A and figure 1.

� Those aged 25-64 with at most primary education were over three timesmore likely to be unemployed in Q2 2011 (24%) when compared with thosewho had attained a third level qualification (7%). See table A and figure 1

For more information contact Edel Flannery on 021 453 5623 or Kevin

McCormack on 021 453 5603.

An Phríomh-Oifig Staidrimh

Central Statistics Office

Published by the Central Statistics Office, Ireland.

Ardee Road Skehard RoadDublin 6 CorkIreland Ireland

LoCall: 1890 313 414 (ROI)0808 2347 581 (UK/NI)

Tel: +353 1 498 4000 Tel: +353 21 453 5000Fax: +353 1 498 4229 Fax: +353 21 453 5492

Both offices may be contacted through any of thesetelephone numbers.

CSO on the Web: www.cso.ie

and go to

Labour Market and Earnings: Labour Market

Director General: Gerard O'Hanlon

Enquiries:

Labour Market statistics Direct Dial (021) 453 5491Email: [email protected]

General queries Information Section, ext 5021Email: [email protected]

� Central Statistics OfficeThe contents of this release may be quoted provided thesource is given clearly and accurately. Reproduction for ownor internal use is permitted.

ISSN 2009-3764

2

Higher educational attainment levels linked with higher labour force participation rates

In Quarter 2 (Q2) 2011, labour force participation rates amongst those aged 25-64 clearly increased as the level of education attained

increased; those with a third level qualification were almost twice as likely to be in the labour force (87%) compared to those with at most

primary level education (46%). While this relationship was observed for both males and females, it was much stronger amongst females;

in Q2 2011 females aged 25-64 with a third level qualification were almost three times as likely to be in the labour force (83%) compared

to females with at most primary level of education (30%). The corresponding values for males in Q2 2011 were 92% and 59%

respectively. See table 6 and figure 2.

Higher educational attainment levels linked with higher employment rates

In Q2 2011, employment rates amongst those aged 25-64 increased as the level of education attained increased with an employment rate

of 35% for persons with at most primary level education compared with an employment rate of 81% for those with a third level

qualification. The relationship between employment rates and level of education was particularly evident for females; only 26% of

females with at most primary level education were employed in Q2 2011 compared to 78% of females with a third level qualification.

The corresponding values for males in Q2 2011 were 42% and 85% respectively. The overall employment rate amongst those aged 25-64

has decreased by three percentage points from 69% in Q2 2009 to 66% in Q2 2011. In this period the employment rate for those with a

third level qualification reduced by only one percentage point (from 82% in Q2 2009 to 81% in Q2 2011) while the employment rate for

those with a post leaving certificate or lower level of education has decreased by between four and six percentage points. See table 7 and

figure 3.

Higher educational attainment linked with lower unemployment rates

Unemployment rates clearly fell as the level of education attainment increased with an unemployment rate of 24% in Q2 2011 for persons

aged 25-64 with at most primary education compared with 7% for persons with a third level qualification. The relationship between

unemployment rates and level of education was particularly evident for men with a 28% unemployment rate for men with at most primary

level education compared with an unemployment rate of 8% for men with a third level qualification. See table 8 and figure 4.

The gap between unemployment rates for those with the highest and lowest levels of education has increased from 10 percentage points in

Q2 2009 (6% of those with a third level qualification and 16% of those with at most primary level education were unemployed) to 17

percentage points in Q2 2011 (7% of those with a third level qualification and 24% of those with at most primary level education were

unemployed). See table 8.

Increased levels of educational attainment results in more than a three-fold reduction inunemployment amongst those aged 25-64

Those aged 25-64 with at most primary education were over three times more likely to be unemployed in Q2 2011 (24%) when compared

to those with a third level qualification (7%). Higher levels of education in all three age groups (25-34, 35-44 and 45-64) in Q2 2011

resulted in lower unemployment rates. The largest difference is evident in 25-34 age group where those with at most primary education

are almost seven times more likely to be unemployed (55%) than those with a third level qualification (8%). See table 9 and figure 5.

In Q2 2011 unemployment rates were higher across all levels of educational attainment amongst those aged 25-34 when compared to

those aged 35-44 or those aged 45-64. The differences were particularly evident amongst those with lower levels of educational

attainment; there was a difference of 38 percentage points in the unemployment rate of those aged 25-34 years with at most a primary

level of education when compared with those aged 45-64 years (55% for those aged 25-34 and 17% for those aged 45-64 years). The

corresponding gap in unemployment rates for those with a third level qualification was only three percentage points (8% for those aged

25-34 and 5% for those aged 45-64). See table 9 and figure 5.

Proportion of those aged 15-24 classified as students continues to rise

The proportion of those aged 15-24 in Ireland classified as “students” (i.e. principal economic status) has increased from 51% in Q2 2007

to 62% in Q2 2011. Increases over this period are evident for both males (47% up to 63%) and females (55% up to 62%). See table 13

and figure 12.

3

4

� Almost all persons aged 15-17 years were classified as students in Q2 2011 (98% of 15 year olds, 98% of 16 year olds and 95% of17 year olds).

� The largest drop for a single year increase in age in the proportion classified as students was observed between those aged 21 years(47%) and those aged 22 years (27%).

� In Q2 2011, approximately one in seven (15%) of those aged 24 were classified as students.

Historically females aged 15-24 were more likely than their male counterparts to be classified as students; in Q2 2000 57% of females and

50% of males were classified as students. Q2 2010 was the first time since then that there were equal proportions of males and females

classified as students (both 60%) while in Q2 2011 there were a higher proportion of males classified as students compared to females

(63% versus 62%). See table 13.

Proportion of those with at most primary education is still decreasing

The rise in the attainment of third level qualification coincided with a decrease in the proportion of those aged 25-64 with at most primary

education; it was 13% in Q2 2009 and 10% in Q2 2011. See tables 2 and 4.

� The drop is evident for both males (14% in Q2 2009 down to 11% in Q2 2011) and females (11% in Q2 2009 down to 9% in Q22011).

� The decrease was evident particularly in the older age groups; there was a reduction of six percentage points for those aged 55-64(from 33% in Q2 2009 down to 27% in Q2 2011).

Over one third of 25-64 year olds have a third level qualification

In Q2 2011, almost four in ten (38%) of 25-64 year olds had attained a third level qualification compared with three in ten (30%) in Q2

2005 and approximately two in ten (22%) in Q2 2000. When one includes 15-24 year olds (the age group most likely to be still in

education) the proportion of those aged 15-64 had attained a third level qualification in Q2 2011 was 33%. See tables 1 and 5.

Over the period 2000 to 2011 females aged 25-64 have consistently had a greater percentage with a third level qualification than males.

The gap has doubled to 6 percentage points in Q2 2011 (41% of females compared with 35% of males) from 3 percentage points in Q2

2005 (31% of females compared with 28% of males). See table 5 and figure 6.

The gap between third level attainment rates of males and females developed in particular in younger age groups. Between 2000 and

2005 the gap in third level attainment between 25-34 year old males and females was between 3 and 9 percentage points. However from

2006 to 2011 this gap increased to between 12 and 15 percentage points. This was due to a larger increase in third level attainment among

females in this period (46% in Q2 2005 up to 55% in Q2 2011) compared to males (37% in Q2 2005 up to 41% in Q2 2011). See table 5.

Figures for Q2 of 2011 show that younger age groups reported the highest percentage of persons with third level qualifications, with over

40% of the 25-34 and 35-44 year olds in this category (48% and 43% respectively) compared to 23% of 55-64 year olds. This reflects

increased levels of participation in third level education over time. See table 5.

The proportion of persons who reported having a third level qualification increased across all age groups between Q2 2000 and Q2 2011.

The largest increase was recorded in the 35-44 year age group where there was an increase of 21 percentage points, from 22% in Q2 2000

to 43% in Q2 2011. See table 5.

Females aged 25-34 have consistently had a higher proportion with third level qualification than males in the same age group; the gap has

increased from 3 percentage points in Q2 2000 (32% of females versus 29% of males) to 14 percentage points in Q2 2011 (55% of

females versus 41% of males). A different scenario is evident in the older age groups where males were traditionally more likely to have

attained a third level qualification than females. From Q2 2000 through to Q2 2004 males aged 45-54 were more likely than their female

counterparts to have attained a third level qualification; the proportion of males was one percentage point higher than the proportion of

females in all instances. In Q2 2005 and Q2 2006 males and females aged 45-54 were equally likely to have attained a third level

qualification and it is only since Q2 2007 that females aged 45-54 were more likely to have attained a third level qualification than males

of the same age. See table 5.

Ireland ranked joint first in EU in 2010 for third level attainment amongst those aged 25-34

The latest available figures for all EU member states showed that, in 2010, one in three (33%) of all 25-34 year olds had a third level

qualification. This compared to a figure of 48% for Ireland, ranking the country joint highest in the EU with Cyprus (48%) while Austria,

Italy and Romania had the lowest levels of third level attainment (all 21%). See table 12b and figure 7.

In all the EU member states, a greater percentage of females in the 25-34 year old age group had attained a third level education in 2010

than males. The lowest gap was witnessed in Germany (3 percentage points) while the highest gaps were observed in Estonia (20

percentage points) and Latvia (22 percentage points). In Ireland there was a gap of 13 percentage points between the proportion females

and males aged 25-34 with a third level qualification in 2010 (55% of females versus 42% of males). See table 12b.

Although the proportion of those aged 25-34 in Ireland who have attained a third level degree or higher level of education has increased

substantially from 30% in Q2 2000 to 48% in Q2 2011, the growth has slowed in the last couple of years (47% in Q2 2009 and 48% in

both Q2 2010 and Q2 2011). See table 12a.

5

6

Irish nationals aged 15-64 are less likely to have a third level qualification than other EU15 nationals resident in Ireland

In Q2 2011 approximately one in three Irish Nationals aged 15-64 had attained a third level qualification (32%) while the corresponding

proportions of United Kingdom (UK) nationals and those from the other EU15 states who are usually resident in Ireland were 43% and

65% respectively. See table 3 and figure 8.

Irish nationals have a consistently lower level of educational attainment than those from the UK and the other EU15 states. In Q2 2011 45%

of Irish nationals aged 25-44 years had attained a third level qualification compared to 55% of UK nationals resident in Ireland and 74% of

nationals from the other EU15 states who are resident in Ireland. A similar pattern was evident for the 45-54 year old age group where UK

nationals (43%) and those from the other EU15 states who are usually resident in Ireland (59%) are more likely than Irish nationals (27%) to

have attained a third level qualification. The only nationality group with a lower rate of third level attainment than Irish nationals across the

three age groups was the group of nationals from the accession states who are usually resident in Ireland. See table 3.

Nine out of ten aged 20-24 have at least higher secondary level of education

In Q2 2011 almost nine out of ten (89%) of those aged 20-24 had attained at least higher secondary level of educational attainment.

Although the proportion has increased from 83% in Q2 2000 to 89% in Q2 2011, the growth has slowed in the last couple of years (88% in

Q2 2008 and Q2 2009 and 89% in both Q2 2010 and Q2 2011). In Q2 2011 females aged 20-24 in Ireland were more likely than males to

have attained at least higher secondary level education (91% versus 87%). See table 11a.

The latest available EU figures showed that in 2010, 79% of all 20-24 year olds in the EU 27 member states had attained at least a higher

secondary level of education. The corresponding figure for Ireland was 88% ranking the country fifth in the list of EU member states.

Slovakia reported the highest proportion of those aged 20-24 who have attained at least higher secondary level of education (93%) while

Malta reported the lowest (53%). See table 11b and figure 9.

7

One in ten 18-24 year olds are early school leavers

In the second quarter of 2011, 9% of those aged 18-24 were defined as early school leavers, i.e. persons aged 18 to 24 whose highest level

of education attained is lower secondary or below and who have not received education (either formal or non-formal) in the four weeks

prior to the survey; this has decreased from 13% in Q2 2004 and 11% in Q2 2008. See tables 10a and10c and figure 10.

� In Q2 2011 females aged 18-24 in Ireland were less likely than males to be classified as early school leavers (7% versus 11%).

� Approximately one in five (21%) of all early school leavers were employed in Q2 of 2011 while just under two in five were unem-ployed (37%) and the remaining 42% were defined as not being economically active.

� Early school leavers had a much lower rate of employment in Q2 of 2011 compared with other persons aged 18-24 (21% comparedto 42%).

� The unemployment rate for early school leavers in Q2 of 2011 was over twice that for other persons aged 18-24 (37% compared to15%).

The latest available EU figures showed that, in 2010, 14% of all 18-24 year olds in the EU 27 member states were classified as early

school leavers. The corresponding figure for Ireland was 11% ranking the country joint eleventh in the list of EU member states,

alongside Denmark and Hungary. Malta reported the highest proportion of early school leavers (37%) while the Czech Republic, Poland,

Slovakia and Slovenia had the lowest (5%). See table 10b and figure 11.

8


NFQ Level1

2009 2010 2011

Males aged 15 to 64

Primary or below None/1/2 14 13 12


Higher secondary 4/5 26 26 26

Post leaving cert 4/5/6 12 12 12

Third Level, of which: 6/7/8/9/10 28 29 30

Higher certificate or equivalent 6 4 3 3

Ordinary degree or equivalent 7 8 8 8

Honours bachelor degree or equivalent 8 12 13 14

Postgraduate qualification 9/10 5 5 5

Total males aged 15 to 64 100 100 100

Females aged 15 to 64










Total females aged 15 to 64 100 100 100

All persons aged 15 to 64










Total persons aged 15 to 64 100 100 100

1See Background Notes.

Table 1 Percentage of persons aged 15 to 64, classified by sex and the highest level of

education attained1, April-June 2009 to April-June 2011

9

% of persons


Primary Lower Higher Post Total

or below secondary secondary leaving Higher certificate Ordinary degree Honours bachelor Postgraduate

cert or equivalent or equivalent degree or qualification

equivalent

NFQ Level1

None/1/2 3 4/5 4/5/6 6 7 8 9/10

April-June 2009

15-19 21 54 23 1 0 0 0 0 100

20-24 3 9 50 11 4 8 14 2 100

25-34 4 10 25 15 7 13 19 8 100

35-44 7 16 24 14 5 12 14 7 100

45-54 14 21 25 12 4 9 10 5 100

55-64 33 20 19 8 2 7 8 3 100

All persons aged 15 to 64 12 19 26 12 4 9 12 5 100

April-June 2010

15-19 24 54 20 1 0 0 0 0 100

20-24 3 9 54 10 3 7 14 1 100

25-34 4 9 25 14 5 14 22 8 100

35-44 6 14 25 13 5 13 16 8 100

45-54 13 20 26 12 3 9 12 5 100

55-64 30 19 20 9 2 8 8 3 100


April-June 2011

15-19 24 53 21 1 0 0 0 0 100

20-24 2 9 53 11 3 6 15 1 100

25-34 4 9 25 14 4 12 23 9 100

35-44 5 13 24 14 4 13 17 9 100

45-54 11 19 26 13 3 10 12 5 100

55-64 27 20 20 10 3 7 9 4 100



Third level

Table 2 Educational attainment levels1

classified by age group, April-June 2009 to April-June 2011

10

% of persons

NFQ Level1

Irish

United

Kingdom

Other

EU15

Accession

States Other Total Irish

United

Kingdom

Other

EU15

Accession

States Other Total

15-24 year olds

Primary or below None/1/2 13 22 6 15 13 13 13 15 7 14 17 13

Lower secondary 3 32 36 18 21 28 31 32 50 13 24 31 32

Higher secondary 4/5 37 28 54 46 35 37 37 25 46 41 35 37

Post leaving cert 4/5/6 5 6 0 10 6 6 6 5 4 9 5 6

Third Level, of which: 6/7/8/9/10 13 8 23 8 18 13 12 5 30 11 11 12

Higher certificate or equivalent 6 1 0 2 1 3 1 1 2 4 4 1 1

Ordinary degree or equivalent 7 3 1 9 4 9 3 3 1 5 5 4 3

Honours bachelor degree or equivalent 8 8 7 11 1 5 7 7 2 16 3 6 7

Postgraduate qualification 9/10 1 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 5 0 0 1

Total aged 15 to 24 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

25-44 year olds

Primary or below None/1/2 5 4 . 6 3 5 5 4 1 3 4 4

Lower secondary 3 12 8 2 6 4 11 12 8 1 4 5 11








Total aged 25 to 34 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

45-64 year olds


Lower secondary 3 20 11 5 11 4 19 20 15 10 10 8 19








Total aged 45 to 54 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

All aged 15-64


Lower secondary 3 19 13 4 9 9 18 19 17 5 8 9 18








Total aged 15 to 64 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100


Table 3 Educational attainment levels1

classified by age group and nationality April-June 2010 and

April - June 2010 April - June 2011

April-June 2011


11

% of persons


NFQ Level1

2009 2010 2011

Males aged 25 to 64










Total males aged 25 to 64 100 100 100

Females aged 25 to 64










Total females aged 25 to 64 100 100 100

All persons aged 25 to 64










Total persons aged 25 to 64 100 100 100


Table 4 Percentage of persons aged 25 to 64, classified by sex and the highest level of


12

% of persons

25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 Total

Males aged 25-64

2000 29 21 18 14 21

2001 31 23 19 14 23

2002 32 24 20 16 24

2003 36 27 21 17 26

2004 37 29 22 17 27

2005 37 30 22 17 28

2006 36 32 24 17 28

2007 37 32 24 18 29

2008 38 34 26 20 31

2009 40 36 27 21 32

2010 41 40 28 21 34

2011 41 41 30 22 35

Females aged 25-64

2000 32 22 17 12 22

2001 35 23 18 13 24

2002 39 26 19 13 26

2003 40 29 20 14 27

2004 44 29 21 15 29

2005 46 32 22 17 31

2006 49 34 24 18 34

2007 50 36 26 16 35

2008 53 39 28 18 37

2009 53 41 28 20 38

2010 55 45 31 22 41

2011 55 46 32 24 41

All persons aged 25-64

2000 30 22 17 13 22

2001 33 23 19 13 23

2002 36 25 20 15 25

2003 38 28 21 15 27

2004 40 29 21 16 28

2005 41 31 22 17 30

2006 42 33 24 17 31

2007 43 34 25 17 32

2008 45 37 27 19 34

2009 47 39 28 20 35

2010 48 42 30 22 37

2011 48 43 31 23 38


Table 5 Percentage of persons that have attained a third level qualfication1, classified by sex

and age group, April-June 2000 to April-June 2011

13

%


NFQ Level1

2009 2010 2011

Male participation rate










Total male participation rate 87 85 85

Female participation rate










Total female participation rate 67 67 67

All persons participation rate










Total participation rate 77 76 76


Table 6 Labour force participation rate of persons aged 25 to 64, classified by sex and the

highest level of education attained1, April-June 2009 to April-June 2011

14

%


NFQ Level1

2009 2010 2011

Male employment rate










Total male employment rate 75 73 71

Female employment rate










Total female employment rate 63 62 61

All persons employment rate










Total employment rate 69 67 66


Table 7 Employment rate of persons aged 25 to 64, classified by sex and the highest level of


15

%


NFQ Level1

2009 2010 2011

Male unemployment rate










Total male unemployment rate 13 15 16

Female unemployment rate










Total female unemployment rate 6 8 9

All persons unemployment rate










Total unemployment rate 10 12 13


Table 8 Unemployment rate of persons aged 25 to 64, classified by sex and the highest level of


%


NFQ Level1

25-34 35-44 45-64

All

25-64 25-34 35-44 45-64

All

25-64

Primary or below None/1/2 43 26 15 20 55 33 17 24

Lower secondary 3 34 20 14 20 38 23 13 21

Higher secondary 4/5 18 13 7 12 19 13 9 14

Post leaving cert 4/5/6 21 13 13 16 24 17 13 18

Third Level, of which: 6/7/8/9/10 8 7 5 7 8 6 5 7

Higher certificate or equivalent 6 14 10 8 11 17 9 10 12

Ordinary degree or equivalent 7 8 9 5 7 9 7 6 7

Honours bachelor degree or equivalent 8 7 6 5 6 7 6 4 6

Postgraduate qualification 9/10 6 5 3 5 6 4 3 5

Total aged 25-64 15 12 10 12 16 12 10 13


April - June 2010 April - June 2011

Table 9 Unemployment rate classified by highest level of education attained1

and age group,

April-June 2010 and 2011

16

% of persons

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Male early school leavers 16 15 16 15 15 13 12 11

Female early school leavers 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 7

Total early school leavers 13 12 13 12 11 10 10 9

% of persons

Males Females Total

EU-27 16 12 14

EU-15 18 13 16

Austria 8 8 8

Belgium 14 10 12

Bulgaria 13 15 14

Cyprus 16 10 13

Czech Republic 5 5 5

Denmark 14 8 11

Estonia 15 n/a3

12

Finland 12 9 10

France 15 10 13

Germany 13 11 12

Greece 17 11 14

Hungary 12 10 11

Ireland2

13 8 11

Italy 22 15 19

Latvia 17 9 13

Lithuania 10 6 8

Luxembourg 8 6 7

Malta 41 32 37

Netherlands 12 8 10

Poland 7 4 5

Portugal 33 25 29

Romania 19 18 18

Slovakia 5 5 5

Slovenia 6 3 5

Spain 34 23 28

Sweden 11 9 10

United Kingdom 16 14 15

Source: Eurostat.

Note: Trends in some member states may be affected by changes in methodology.

2The Eurostat figures for Ireland are based on an annual average for 2010 and so may differ slightly from the values in Table 9a.

3n/a denotes that the figures were not available when the data for the table was taken from the Eurostat database.

April-June 2004 to April-June 2011

classified by sex, 2010

Table 10a Early school leavers1

as a percentage of 18 to 24 year olds classified by sex,

Table 10b Early school leavers1

as a percentage of 18 to 24 year olds in EU member states,

1Early school leavers are defined as persons aged 18 to 24 whose highest level of education attained is lower secondary or below and have not received

education (either formal or non formal) in the four weeks prior to the survey. See Background Notes.

1Early school leavers are defined as persons aged 18 to 24 whose highest level of education attained is lower secondary or below and have not received education

(either formal or non formal) in the four weeks prior to the survey. See Background Notes.

17

% of persons

Early Other Early Other Early Other Early Other Early Other Early Other Early Other Early Other

School persons School persons School persons School persons School persons School persons School persons School persons

Leaver 18 to 24 Leaver 18 to 24 Leaver 18 to 24 Leaver 18 to 24 Leaver 18 to 24 Leaver 18 to 24 Leaver 18 to 24 Leaver 18 to 24

Males

In employment 69 65 66 64 71 68 63 69 58 63 33 47 32 41 22 39

Unemployed 15 5 19 5 14 6 21 5 24 8 44 18 42 18 47 18

Not economically active 16 31 14 31 15 27 16 26 18 29 23 35 26 40 31 44

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Females

In employment 41 57 41 61 43 59 43 62 39 61 35 53 31 46 21 44

Unemployed 14 4 13 4 12 5 10 6 10 5 18 11 16 12 21 12


Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

All persons

In employment 59 61 56 62 61 63 56 65 51 62 34 50 32 44 21 42

Unemployed 15 5 17 5 14 5 17 5 19 6 35 14 32 15 37 15


Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Table 10c Percentage of early school leavers1

and other persons aged 18 to 24 classified by sex and ILO employment status, April-June 2004 to

20082007200620052004 2010

1Early school leavers are defined as persons aged 18 to 24 whose highest level of education attained is lower secondary or below and have not received education (either formal or non formal) in the four weeks prior to the survey. See Background

Notes.

2009 2011

April-June 2011

18

% of persons

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Males 80 81 80 82 82 84 81 83 84 84 86 87

Females 86 88 88 88 88 89 89 90 91 91 92 91

All persons 83 84 84 85 85 86 85 86 88 88 89 89


% of persons

Country Males Females Total

EU-27 76 82 79

EU-15 74 80 77

Austria 85 86 86

Belgium 80 85 83

Bulgaria 85 84 84

Cyprus 83 89 86


Denmark 61 76 68

Estonia 77 90 83

Finland 83 86 84

France 80 86 83

Germany 72 77 74

Greece 80 87 83

Hungary 82 86 84

Ireland1

85 91 88

Italy 73 80 76

Latvia 74 86 80

Lithuania 84 90 87

Luxembourg 68 79 73

Malta 47 61 53

Netherlands 74 82 78

Poland 88 94 91

Portugal 55 63 59

Romania 78 79 78

Slovakia 93 93 93

Slovenia 86 93 89

Spain 55 68 61

Sweden 85 87 86


Source: Eurostat.


Table 11a Percentage of persons aged 20 to 24 with at least higher secondary level education1,

Table 11b Percentage of persons aged 20 to 24 with at least a higher secondary education1

in EU


member states, classified by sex, 2010

classified by sex, April-June 2000 to April-June 2011

19

% of persons

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Males 29 31 32 36 37 37 36 37 38 40 41 41

Females 32 35 39 40 44 46 49 50 53 53 55 55

All persons 30 33 36 38 40 41 42 43 45 47 48 48


% of persons

Country Males Females Total

EU-27 29 38 33

EU-15 30 38 34

Austria 19 23 21

Belgium 38 49 44

Bulgaria 20 36 27

Cyprus 42 54 48


Denmark 37 50 43

Estonia 28 48 38

Finland 31 48 39

France 38 47 43

Germany 25 28 26

Greece 25 36 30

Hungary 21 31 26

Ireland1

42 55 48

Italy 16 25 21

Latvia 23 45 34

Lithuania 38 55 46

Luxembourg 43 46 44

Malta 17 26 22

Netherlands 37 44 40

Poland 30 45 37

Portugal 18 32 25

Romania 19 23 21

Slovakia 19 30 24

Slovenia 23 40 31

Spain 34 45 39

Sweden 36 50 42


Source: Eurostat.


Table 12a Percentage of persons aged 25 to 34 with a third level qualification1, classified by sex,

Table 12b Percentage of persons aged 25 to 34 with third level qualification1, in EU member states,


April-June 2000 to April-June 2011

classified by sex, 2010

20

% of persons

Year of age 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Male students

15 98 97 98 99 98 99 98 99 99 99 99 98

16 91 91 93 92 93 92 94 94 97 98 97 98

17 81 82 83 85 85 85 86 86 90 93 93 95

18 61 61 63 63 67 63 64 64 69 78 79 82

19 45 44 50 49 48 48 47 45 45 56 62 65

20 37 40 41 42 38 40 36 36 41 45 50 55

21 30 30 33 39 33 34 27 27 29 36 40 46

22 21 20 23 26 29 25 23 21 24 24 31 27

23 12 15 14 17 15 16 16 14 13 17 19 23

24 7 7 11 14 9 11 9 9 10 9 14 15

Total 50 50 51 52 51 50 48 47 50 55 60 63

Female students

15 98 99 99 99 99 99 100 99 99 100 98 98

16 94 96 97 97 98 98 98 98 98 99 98 98

17 90 90 92 91 93 95 93 95 92 95 97 95

18 79 79 78 79 82 79 81 80 79 83 85 84

19 62 63 63 63 61 66 60 64 61 65 69 71

20 47 50 53 55 53 50 52 50 51 51 55 60

21 40 39 41 43 39 38 42 38 38 41 45 48

22 25 26 24 29 29 30 31 26 25 26 30 27

23 13 14 18 14 18 15 14 16 14 15 16 20

24 7 10 9 11 10 10 10 12 11 12 11 15

Total 57 58 57 57 57 56 56 55 55 57 60 62

All persons

15 98 98 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 98

16 93 94 95 94 96 95 96 96 97 99 97 98

17 86 86 87 88 89 90 90 90 91 94 95 95

18 70 70 71 71 74 70 73 72 74 81 82 83

19 53 53 56 55 54 57 53 54 54 60 65 68

20 42 45 47 49 45 45 44 43 46 48 53 57

21 35 34 37 41 36 36 35 32 33 38 43 47

22 23 23 24 28 29 27 27 23 24 25 31 27

23 13 14 16 16 17 16 15 15 13 16 18 21

24 7 9 10 13 9 10 10 10 10 11 12 15

Total 53 54 54 55 54 53 52 51 53 56 60 62

Table 13 Students1

as a proportion of the population aged 15 to 24, classified by single year of age and sex, April-June 2000 to April-June 2011

1Those who indicated that their principal economic status is "Student". See Background Notes.

Central Statistics Office Quarterly National Household Survey

Background NotesPurpose of survey The Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) began in September 1997, replacing the annual

April Labour Force Survey (LFS). The QNHS meets the requirements of Council Regulation (EC)No. 577/98, adopted in March 1998, which required the introduction of quarterly labour forcesurveys in EU Member States. While the primary purpose of the QNHS is the production ofquarterly labour force estimates, it also includes special modules on social topics of interest on aquarterly basis. Further information relating to the social modules is provided at the end of thisnote.

Data collection Information is collected on laptop computers, using computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI)software.

Highest level ofeducation attained

This classification is derived from a single question and refers to educational standards that havebeen attained and can be compared in some measurable way. The question is included in the coreQNHS questionnaire on an ongoing basis and is phrased as follows: “What is the highest level ofeducation or training you have attained?”

There are two methods of presenting results for educational attainment; the International StandardClassification of Education (ISCED) and the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).

ISCED: UNESCO developed the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tofacilitate comparisons of education statistics and indicators across countries on the basis of uniformand internationally agreed definitions. The current revision of ISCED used in this release is ISCED1997 (ISCED97).

NFQ: The NFQ was launched in 2003 and it is now the single structure mechanism for recognisingall education and training in Ireland. All framework awards now have an NFQ Level, numberedfrom 1 to 10, which tells you about the standard of learning and an NFQ Award-Type which tellsyou about the purpose, volume and progression opportunities associated with a particular award.In this release educational attainment results are presented using a descriptive name and thecorresponding NFQ levels.

For information on the NFQ see: http://www.nfq.ie/nfq/en/. For information on the ISCED97classification see: http://www.uis.unesco.org/ev_en.php?ID=7433_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC.

The classification of educational levels in the QNHS was revised in Q2 of 2009 in order to facilitatethe linking of education categories to the NFQ, while also retaining links with the internationaleducation classification, ISCED97. The change was made in the third level qualification categoriesto separate the attainment of Ordinary degrees from Honours Bachelor degrees. Because of thisdetailed results prior to Q2 2009 are not directly comparable with results from Q2 2009 onwards.

In previous educational attainment releases the educational attainment variable was presentedusing ISCED 1997 while, in this release, the response levels are grouped together into educationalattainment levels using the NFQ. The table below gives education qualifications alongside thecorresponding ISCED level, NFQ level and the educational attainment level reported in thisrelease.

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ISCED97

Level

NFQ

Level

Educational Attainment

Level

0 Primary or below

1 1/2 Primary or below

Junior Certificate 2A 3

Intermediate Certificate 2A 3

Group Certificate 2A 3

FÁS Introductory Skills Certificate 2A 3

NCVA Foundation Centificate 2A 3

FETAC Certificate at NFQ level 3 2A 3

Equivalent Qualification at NFQ level 3 2A 3

Lower secondary

Leaving Certificate (Traditional) 3A 4/5

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) 3A 4/5

Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) 3A 4/5

Equivalent Qualification at NFQ level 4/5 3C 4/5

Secretarial 4C 4/5

Certificate in Hotel Operations 4C 4/5

PLC (Post Leaving Certificate Course) 4C 4/5

FÁS National Skills Certificate 4C 4/5

FÁS Specific Skills Certificate 4C 4/5

FETAC level Certificate at NFQ level 4 4C 4

FETAC level Certificate at NFQ level 5 4C 5

Equivalent qualification at NFQ level 4/5 4C 4/5

Completed apprenticeships 4C 6

Teagasc farming or horticulture Certificate/Diploma 4C 6

National Craft Certificate 4C 6

FETAC advanced Certificate at NFQ level 6 4C 6

Equivalent Qualification at NFQ level 6 4C 6

National Certificate (NCEA/DIT/IOT) 5B 6

Cadetship (army, air corps or naval service) 5B 6

HETAC/DIT Higher Certificate at NFQ level 6 5B 6

Equivalent qualification at NFQ level 6 5B 6

National Diploma (HETAC/NCEA e.g. 3 year diploma) 5B 7

Bachelor Degree (DIT) 5B 7

Ordinary Bachelor Degree 5B 7

Equivalent qualification at NFQ level 7 5B 7

5A 8Honours bachelor degree orequivalent

5A 8Honours bachelor degree orequivalent

5A 9 Postgraduate qualification

6 10 Postgraduate qualificationDoctorate or higher (e.g. Doctoral Degree/higher Doctorate at NFQ level 10)

Diploma Ordinary degree or equivalent

Honours Bachelor Degree, Graduate Diploma or Higher Diploma at NFQ level 8

Professional (Honours Bachelor Degree equivalent or higher)

Post-Graduate (e.g. Post Graduate Diploma or Masters degree at NFQ level 9)

HigherCertificate

Higher certificate andequivalent

Transition Year

HigherSecondary

Higher secondary

Technical orVocational

Post leaving cert

Lower secondary

Table A1: Educational qualifications and corresponding ISCED 97 level, NFQ level and

Educational attainment level

AdvanceCertificate

Post leaving cert

Education Qualification

No formal education or training

Pre-primary education/Primary education (or FETAC Certificate at NFQ level 1 or 2)

LowerSecondary


Reference Period Up until 2008 the QNHS was based on seasonal quarters i.e. Q1: December-February, Q2:March-May, Q3: June-August, Q4: September-November. Since 2009, the QNHS has been basedon calendar quarters, i.e. Q1: January-March, Q2: April-June, Q3: July-September, Q4:October-December. Questions on educational attainment are included in the core QNHSquestionnaire each quarter. For this release, educational attainment results are presented for eachyear using data from Quarter 2 (i.e. April-June).

The change in the educational attainment series in Q2 2009 means that detailed results prior to Q22009 are not directly comparable with results from Q2 2009 onwards. Because of this, some resultsin this release are only presented from Q2 2009 through to Q2 2011. For tables that are not affectedby the change in series results are presented from Q2 2000 onwards or from whenever the data hasbeen collected (e.g. from Q2 2004 onwards in the case of Early School Leavers). All of thequarterly databases from 2000 to 2011 have been classified into calendar quarters and so the datafrom Q2 of 2000 through to Q2 of 2011 are based on the same months (April-June).

Early school leavers Early school leavers are defined as persons aged 18 to 24 whose highest level of education attainedis lower secondary or below and have not received education (either formal or non-formal) in thefour weeks prior to the survey. In this release data on early school leavers are presented from Q2 of2004 through to Q2 of 2011.

ILO Labour ForceClassification

The primary classification used for the QNHS results is the ILO (International Labour Office)Labour Force classification. The ILO classification distinguishes the following main subgroups ofthe population aged 15 and over:

In Employment: Persons who worked in the week before the survey for one hour or more forpayment or profit, including work on the family farm or business and all persons who had a job butwere not at work because of illness, holidays etc. in the week.

Unemployed: Persons who, in the week before the survey, were without work and available forwork within the next two weeks, and had taken specific steps, in the preceding four weeks, to findwork.

Inactive Population (not in labour force): All other persons.

Labour ForceParticipation Rate,

Employment Rate andUnemployment Rate

The rates given in this release are based on the ILO classification. The Labour Force ParticipationRate is the number of persons in the labour force expressed as a percentage of the total populationaged 15 or over. The Employment Rate is the number of employed persons as a percentage of thetotal population. The Unemployment Rate is the number of unemployed expressed as a percentageof the total labour force.

Principal EconomicStatus Classification

The PES classification is based on a single question in which respondents are asked what theirusual situation with regard to employment is and given the following response categories:

At workUnemployedStudentEngaged on home dutiesRetiredOther

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QNHS Social Modules While the main purpose of the QNHS is the production of quarterly labour force estimates, there isalso a provision for the collection of data on social topics through the inclusion of special surveymodules. The selection of the major national modules undertaken to date has been largely based onthe results of a canvas of users (over 100 organisations) that was conducted by the CSO in 1996,2002, 2006 and most recently 2009. The results of the canvas are presented to the National

Statistics Board and they are asked to indicate their priorities for the years ahead.

The schedule for social modules in any given year is based on the following structure:

Quarter 1 Accidents and Illness module and Information, Communication and Technology(ICT) Survey

Quarter 2 EU module (always covered under EU legislation).Quarter 3 National module.Quarter 4 National module.

The table below outlines the social modules published to date in the QNHS

Reference Social

Quarter Module

Q2 2011 Voter ParticipationQ4 2010 EqualityQ3 2010 HealthQ2 2010 Cross Border ShoppingQ2 2010 Educational AttainmentQ1 2010 Crime and VictimisationQ4 2009 PensionsQ3 2009 CaringQ2 2009 Union MembershipQ2 2009 Cross Border ShoppingQ3 2008 Lifelong learningQ1 2008 Pension provisionQ4 2007 ChildcareQ3 2007 HealthQ2 2007 Union MembershipQ1 2007 Work-related Accidents and Illnesses (Q1 2003 – Q1 2007)Q1 2007 ICT household surveyQ4 2006 Crime and VictimisationQ3 2006 Sport and physical exerciseQ1 2006 ICT household surveyQ4 2005 Pension provisionQ4 2005 Special Saving Incentive Accounts (SSIAs)Q3 2005 ICT household surveyQ3 2005 Recycling and energy conservationQ2 2005 Reconciliation between work and family lifeQ2 2005 Educational attainmentQ1 2005 ChildcareQ4 2004 EqualityQ3 2004 ICT household surveyQ2 2004 Union MembershipQ2 2004 Work organisation and working timeQ4 2003 Crime and VictimisationQ3 2003 HousingQ3 2003 ICT household survey

Social modules yet to be published:

Reference Social

Quarter Module

Q1 2009-2011 ICT household surveyQ2 2011 Response of households to economic downturnQ3 2011 Adult education survey

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Documents

Quarterly National Household Survey - CSO · Quarterly National Household Survey ... aged 25-64 with at most primary education compared with 7% for persons with a third level qualification